1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates generally to a computer implemented method, data processing system, and computer program product for providing authentication. More specifically, the present invention relates to permitting heterogeneous authentication methods to function in a common shared environment.
2. Description of the Related Art
A service management environment is the combined hardware, networking, and software features of an information technology (IT) system tied together by relationships, often expressed in contracts, that provide a customer's employees access to IT resources. Businesses rely on flexible staffing solutions to staff their workflow in a manner that optimizes staff and other resource utilization. Occasionally, such staffing requires use of remote staff, partners, and contractors to deliver IT services within the service management environment.
As a customer or business rotates through, adds, and deletes vendors from its trusted group of suppliers, a customer may rely on a variety of authenticating repositories hosted on servers. However, rapid growth of a customer via, for example, acquisitions of smaller businesses, can create a patchwork set of IT service vendors. Each vendor may rely on a different repository or database.
The data within each repository is not readily integrated into others using prior art tools. Accordingly, a remedy is sought.